Nintendo Allows Tetris 99 Offline Play For $9.99

May 13, 2019

Nintendo released Tetris 99 as a free-to-play game for the Switch but with a catch. It was available to Switch Online members which meant that those who wanted to play this game had to get a membership to Switch Online. That will no longer be the case as Nintendo is now allowing people to play the game offline, provided they pay $9.99 for the privilege.

The company has confirmed that it’s releasing a paid component for Tetris 99 with its Big Block DLC. The $9.99 DLC brings two new modes. The CPU Battle mode lets players play with 98 virtual opponents offline while Marathon is just the classic version of the Tetris game.

Both of these modes are available offline so those who want to play them will not be required to have a Switch Online subscription. The offline CPU Battle mode works in more or less the same way as the original version. Players compete with 98 opponents and their success in clearing the lines and gaining badges can speed up their rival’s defeat.

The only major difference with the offline mode is that players will be up against AI players instead of actual humans. The Tetris 99 Big Block DLC is now available on the Nintendo eShop for $9.99.

The #Tetris99 Big Block DLC is available on Nintendo eShop for $9.99 and adds offline modes! Battle 98 bots in CPU Battle, and survive in Marathon mode to clear the most lines possible! Stay tuned for more on additional upcoming game modes. https://t.co/t6cp0KnJLT pic.twitter.com/VKvai3xRCe

US President Donald Trump, who has just begun a state visit to Japan, says trade between the two countries can be made fairer.Trump attended a dinner with Japanese and US business leaders at the US Ambassador's residence after arriving at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Saturday.

A strong earthquake has struck eastern Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency says the quake occurred in and around Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. Hardest hit areas registered an intensity of 5 minus on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7.The magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck southern Chiba at 3:20 p.m. on...more

Tokyo police are beefing up security ahead of the state visit of US President Donald Trump. They are deploying a record number of officers for any visiting US president.Trump is due to arrive at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Saturday evening. He will stay for four days.

The VIP room of a Japanese government plane that was taken out of service in March has been shown to the media for the first time.The Boeing 747 was used by prime ministers, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko for 26 years from 1993.

All Nippon Airways debuted flights of a double-decker Airbus A380 from Narita Airport north of Tokyo, bound for Hawaii on Friday.The aircraft is one of the largest in the world, measuring 72 meters long and two stories high along its entire length. It has 520 seats -- more than double the average...more

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. They kick off the podcast discussing the cars they've been driving in the office including the 2019 Buick Regal TourX, 2019 Honda Civic Touring, 2020 Kia...more